eating – Deborah Ives, Solo In Style

Sri Lanka Hill Country – go for the tea, stay for the curries

October 16, 2018soloinstyle

Sri Lanka is foodie heaven and a vegan paradise

It’s mid-morning and the train to Nuwara Eliya is climbing through the lush, green countryside on its way to the hills of Sri Lanka’s tea country. Since I boarded at Haputale the scenery has changed completely and I find myself jostling with other passengers, hanging precariously out of the open carriage door as we wind our way through the undulating, rough country risking my life to get the perfect photo. Yes, the tea plantations are impressive and that is why I’m making the journey, but it’s the manicured terraces brimmed to capacity with vegetable plots that are really getting my attention. I had no idea that Sri Lanka produced such an abundance of fresh produce but then I suppose there’s a reason why the national dish is rice and curry and most of those curries are made from vegetables.

5 things I’ll miss the most about Rio (plus a few that I won’t)

July 19, 2016April 3, 2021soloinstyle

I love large cities by the sea and, in my humble experience, Rio is the most beautiful one that I have visited (followed closely by Sydney and Cape Town). It lived up to my expectations in every way and despite many people telling me that I was crazy to go there, ‘Rio is so dangerous’, ‘You’ll get Zika’, ‘The country is broke and the government is corrupt, it will be depressing’, I could not have asked for a better experience. It certainly has a bit of an edge about it but use common sense and leave your valuables at home and you’ll be fine.

There are many things that I’ll miss about Rio but here my top 5.

Laid back and leaner – lessons from Rio

July 16, 2016April 3, 2021soloinstyle

I came to Rio for six weeks as part of a volunteer programme to mentor young entrepreneurs, but as I get ready to leave, I am very aware of just how much I have learned during my stay here. It’s fair to say that when I arrived I was more than a little wound-up (as my lovely, straight-talking teammate pointed out to me, as only a South African with Dutch, German and Greek influences can). I hadn’t thought it was that obvious but it was time to relax and go with the flow.

A weekend in Buzios

July 5, 2016April 3, 2021soloinstyle

Buzios is a beautiful fishing town set on an ocean peninsula 105 miles east of Rio de Janeiro. My flat mate had spent a weekend there and recommended that I go check it out and so last Friday afternoon I set off with my overnight bag to Rio’s enormous bus station, Novo Rio, to get the air-conditioned coach for the three hour journey out of the city.